The Hanging Judge: Michael Ponsor

jainemake September 01, 2022

Summary from Goodreads:

When a drive-by shooting in Holyoke, Massachusetts, claims the lives of a Puerto Rican drug dealer and a nurse at a neighborhood clinic, the police arrest a black drug dealer. With no death penalty in Massachusetts, the US attorney shifts the double homicide out of state jurisdiction into federal court so that he can pursue the death penalty.

The book carries us through the commission of the crime, the arrest, the choice of a venue for the trial, jury selection, and the trial. We get the point of view of not only the attorneys and the family and friends of the accused and the victims, but also the judge. And on top of all of this we get a romance.

The fictional story is framed with the true story of two men in Massachusetts who were executed for a crime they did not commit. Dominic Daley, 34, and James Halligan, 27, were arrested in 1805 for the murder of Marcus Lyon and hanged in 1806.

A major theme is, of course, the death penalty. The book focuses more on how that element affects the trial and the people involved. The story also deals with how preconceptions mold how our view of people, how we judge based on their past history, and how our perceptions can be manipulated in court.

I liked getting the picture of the trial process, especially at this level (Federal court). I have not read many legal mysteries, so I don't have much to compare against. The story was somewhat predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was nicely paced, had some surprises, and kept me interested. I had mixed feelings about the romance. At first I found it irritating, towards the end I felt like it served a purpose.

Although the judge is the only character developed in depth, we get a glimpse into the lives of the clerks who work with the judge, the attorneys on both sides, the victims, and the witnesses. Not all of the characters were appealing but they all felt human and realistic, not idealized or demonized.

This book was provided for review by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley. You can learn more about the author at this page.